The present invention relates to touch fastener material and, more particularly though not exclusively, to quiet hook and loop touch fastener material adapted to releasably engage a mating surface and adapted to produce reduced sound during rapid separation of the touch fastener material from the mating surface and comprising: a planar backing material having an engaging surface thereon contacting the backing material at discrete points and adapted to releasably engage the mating surface; and, means for reducing the coupling of noise-producing vibration from the backing material into the surrounding air.
The term "touch fastener material", as employed in this application, comprises two components, namely, a first planar backing material having a surface carrying hooks, mushrooms, balls on stems, pigtails, or the like, capable of engaging loops, hooks, mushrooms, balls on stems, pigtails, or the like, carried by a second planar backing material to releasably fasten items together, such as those products sold by the assignee of the present invention under the trademark VELCRO.
Touch fastener materials have grown rapidly in public acceptance and their uses appear unlimited. Unlike other devices such as zippers, and the like which require proper alignment and component tolerances to operate and not jam, touch fasteners are virtually indestructible and need only be pressed together with mating surfaces in contact with one another to effect attachment. For belts, and the like, they provide infinite adjustment capabilities. All this is to say that they are very well suited for military applications where such qualities are important and appreciated.
Unfortunately, touch fastener materials according to the prior art have suffered from a single drawback which has caused concern in some military applications as well as annoyance to certain other users--noise upon separation. Typical VELCRO brand hook and loop type touch fastener material and the noise associated therewith is shown in simplified form in FIGS. 1-3. As depicted in FIG. 1, the touch fastener material 10 comprises a first planar backing material 12 having an engaging surface thereon comprising, for example, resiliently flexible J-shaped hooks 14 attached to the backing material 12 at discrete points. Touch fastener material 10 also includes a second planar backing material 16 having a mating surface thereon such as, for example, loops 18. The touch fastener material 10 is releasably engaged by pressing the hooks 14 into engagement with the loops 18 where they are ensnared to hold the two portions together as shown in FIG. 2. Like zippers and their characteristic "zipping" noise, conventional touch fastener materials are easily identified by their characteristic "ripping" noise 20 when the two portions are peeled apart as depicted in FIG. 3.
Wherefore, it is the object of the present invention to provide touch fastener material characterized by a greatly reduced sound level when the two portions are peeled apart during separation.